FARNBOROUGH – Day 3 at Farnborough has come to a close, with some more orders announced by the mainstream manufacturers.

It has been a far quieter day, with not much being confirmed at this time. That being said, we still have one more day tomorrow, or as far as we know.

Boeing have been the king of organizing last minute press announcements, with there being some drama towards the end of the day of agreements being finalized before the press conferences even begin.

Airbus

Airbus’ only commercial announcement today consisted of 56 A320neos for easyJet being firmed up from an existing 2013 framework. This means it isn’t a fresh order made at the Farnborough Air Show.

Commenting on the firming of the order was Kenton Jarvis, the CFO for easyJet who said that the airline believes “this order will support positive returns for the business and the delivery of our strategic objectives”.

“The new aircraft are aligned with easyJet’s sustainability strategy, with the adoption of the more efficient new technology aircraft being a core component of easyJet’s path to net zero emissions. Alongside this, the new aircraft are significantly quieter, with half the noise footprint of the older aircraft they are replacing”.

Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International also commented on the order saying:

“easyJet has democratized flying for millions of travellers and we are delighted this latest agreement for 56 A320neo Family aircraft not only future proofs its growth as traffic rebounds, but also lays the foundations for its sustainability journey”.

With this not being a fresh order, questions were raised by the media in the press conference. Scherer insists that Airbus doesn’t rehash old orders as a result of this announcement.

Questioned about aircraft sales, Scherer said the following:

“It was about time for Boeing to pick up some steam”. Such hard-hitting had obviously affected Scherer to a high extent, which of course highlights frustration about journalists being correct.

Other than that, there was yet again nothing concrete from Airbus, and they ideally only have tomorrow and Friday to fix this.

The Air India order rumours dissipated as soon as the easyJet graphic render came to the screen, with Reuters mentioning that the order may not be announced at the airshow.

It also looks like that may be it for Airbus as well, as reports are stating that both Guillaume Faury and Christian Scherer have left the airshow now. So who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Boeing

It’s been a relatively quiet day for Boeing, with only one order announced by the American planemaker.

They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Azerbaijan Airlines for four more 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.

This new announcement means that the airline will receive 10 new Dreamliners by 2030, which is part of the airline’s continued fleet renewal to replace their aging 757 and 767 aircraft.

“Azerbaijan Airlines was the first airline in the Caspian and Central Asia region to operate the 787-8 Dreamliner and we currently have two 787-8s in-service. This MoU is the evidence of joint efforts to scale up the mutually beneficial partnership between Azerbaijan Airlines and Boeing,” said Jahangir Asgarov, president of Azerbaijan Airlines.

“Over the years, our 787 airplanes have provided impeccable performance, and the addition of more long-haul airplanes will further expand the geography of Azerbaijan Airlines’ route network.”

Asgarov was humorous in the briefing, encouraging Stan Deal, the CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes to restart production of the 747 and the 757.

“Today’s agreement extends our long-term partnership with Azerbaijan Airlines as they renew their fleet to capitalize on the growing long-term travel demand that we are seeing globally,” said Stan Deal, President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“The global in-service 787 fleet has been the most-utilized widebody during the market downturn and we are confident in the proven performance capabilities of this airplane.”

The airline already has two 787-8s in service.

Other than that, that’s about it for Boeing. We are expecting more announcements tomorrow potentially due to a delayed order announcement from today. But if not, then that will probably be the conclusion from Boeing too.

ATR

ATR’s only order from today came from Afrijet, with the deal finalized for one 72-600 aircraft. This order means that Afrijet’s order book increases to six, with deliveries due to commence next year.

Afrijet CEO, Marc Gaffajoli, says: “Regional connectivity has a significant impact on local economies and community integration.”

“To be effective in Africa an aircraft has to be cost-efficient, reliable and versatile. Moreover, the unique terrain in which Afrijet operates, comprising of the Congo rainforest – the world’s second largest tropical forest after the Amazon – makes an even stronger reason to select the most responsible aircraft on the market for such essential connections.”

Fabrice Vautier, ATR Senior Vice President Commercial, says: “Most traffic in Africa is concentrated on a few well served routes and there is a real need to connect secondary cities.”

“Afrijet is able to do just that, providing a reliable and comfortable service to local communities.  Accelerating the transition of its fleet to purchase the latest generation of ATR aircraft, is a clear demonstration of Afrijet’s strong business strategy and commitment to sustainable aviation”.

Embraer

We probably won’t see anymore orders from Embraer, due to them effectively placing all their eggs into one basket yesterday with the 278 orders recorded.

The Scoreboard

Overall

For Airbus, this is beginning to turn into more of a disappointing week. With hardly any fresh orders, this does bring into question how dry talks are going with prospective customers.

The high level of confidence in Boeing’s 737 MAX is beginning to shadow through more. With 226 aircraft sold, Airbus have to effectively pull a mega order out of the bag in order to salvage any potential success.

But for now, all we can do is wait to see what happens tomorrow, and whether Airbus can pull off the impossible and secure a high triple-digit order.